The Game Sprite
by The Ikran Rider
Summary: Akari's Water-Type Pokémon enter a Game featuring the underwater city of Atlantis. While Enzo mopes from his loneliness as the only little Sprite, they soon come across a mysterious Sprite by the name of AndrAIa. Based on the episode of the same name; one of my all-time favorites.


**A/N: This is one of my all-time favorite episodes in the series. This is also the chance for Akari's Water-type Pokémon to go all out in a submerged Game while Enzo, as lonely as he is, would meet a new friend who happens to be someone he least expected. Just check it out.**

Outside of Dot's Diner, cameras were rolling as the Mainframe Strolling Players reenacted a scenario. One of them was a look-a-like that represented Bob as a tall, cerulean Binome. He spoke in a scripted accent, "So much for me being 'Mr. Save the Day.' Want some used food?" He wasn't showing as much personality as his original counterpart.

Neither was the green female Binome; she closely resembled Dot who smacked away the fake food product away from his hands, "No. But thanks anyway." She had a deeper tone than the Sprite's persona.

She then startled as she saw a Binome with the same coating, wearing a red cap and had beady eyes. "Bob!"

"Enzo..!" The Bob impersonator made a dull expression of worry.

The Binome holding Enzo was also circular, he was covered in shades of bright purple and had a red fin protruding from the back of his head. He responded in a far less intimidating accent, "It was _rrather_ notorious and testing to refabricate that magnet, Bob, I would-a _rreally_ appreciate it if you could be so kind to return it over to me..! And, the sooner, the better..!"

The Bob Player waved his hand as if swatting a fly, trying to look pompous. "Keep your head on I was only going to chuck it anyway, M.B." He was holding a little plastic magnet, though it was as harmless as a kid's toy. "Here, catch."

He threw it toward the Megabyte impersonator. It bounced off his head. He picked it up, put it against the side of his face, and made some dull groans. "Arrrgh..! Oh, I've fallen..! Hack, Slash, to me..!" He leapt down the dark pit, though he bounced on a trampoline. Then, a red and a blue robot rushed over.

"Coming..!"

"Boss!"

Both the Hack and Slash actors jumped onto the trampoline, and looked as if they were tossing their mechanical parts asunder. Bob, Dot, and Enzo looked over the so-called drop, and resumed their monotone speech.

"They're not even close to Al's." Bob said.

"No, not even close." Dot added.

"To Al's." Enzo chirped.

Inside the joint, Mike the TV shut off the occurring scene. He was standing on a table while Enzo watched in all his boredom, resting his cheek on his palm, while his shoulder rested on the top.

"What you have just witnessed was a simulation of a true event; only the names were changed to protect the guilty. No Binomes were injured during the recording of this program. Next cycle on, True Stories of Mainframe?"

His face was replaced by another scene; this one took place in what appeared to be a dark cell. A pirate Binome holding a hook cried, "Argh, how do you know that, then?"

Inside the jail cell, the same Bob Binome spoke with more attitude. "I'm a gardener. I know everything."

Mike interrupted the broadcast, " _Psst_ , that's Guardian, Guardian." The actors looked bashful.

Dot came through the double doors and noticed her little brother moping all day. "Enzo, are you still sitting there and watching Mike the TV? Why don't you play outside?" she suggested with a smile.

He was not in the best of moods. "Who with?! I got no friends! You're always too busy, and Bob's in that Game." He pointed toward a dark fuchsia Game Cube just a sector down.

"What about Akari and her Pokémon? They always seem like a lot of fun, right?" she tried again to lighten his spirits. Unfortunately, he still wore the same troubled expression, his voice rising.

"I never get to go anywhere. And you won't let me into Games anymore! I had FUN in all of the Games!" he slammed a fist on the table, making the napkin dispenser and the shakers rattle. "Now I just-"

"Enzo, Games aren't supposed to be fun, they're dangerous. You should never go into one without Bob or myself, or if Akari and her Pokémon are with you. Promise?"

"Aw Dot, Games are fun. I bet Bob's having a great time right now."

"Game Over." Nanoseconds later, the Cube lifted off like a rocket, leaving the occupied Sector intact. It let out a clap of thunder upon its exit through the sky.

The Guardian burst through the doors, and two distinctive Binomes were behind him. One was a rectangular one with a snobby voice and a brown crewcut, the other was round, and had tan and maroon parts. The leader pointed them out angrily, "You nearly got us nullified! I can't believe you did that!"

"Bob!" Enzo's eyes lit up. He began to run toward him and tackle him to the floor like he always does. Unfortunately he missed as his mentor turned and marched closer to his delinquents.

Dot spoke up. "Hey, Bob. Problems?"

"You could say that. These two booted into the Game and tried to win it by sending off an explosion capable of destroying the planet!" Captain Quirk slapped Jean-Luc on the back, trying to make him feel as proud as he was, despite their own stupidity.

"Bad idea."

"Yes. Especially when you are INSIDE THE PLANET!" Bob shouted. "Why'd you do it? Tell me." he questioned to Quirk.

"I had to, mister."

He fixed toward his partner. "And all he did was keep saying, 'Make it so.'"

Jean-Luc spoke in a nasally voice as he corrected, "And engage. I said engage more times than I said 'make it so,' actually." He then looked bashful, but Bob wasn't convinced.

He raised his hands in defeat, "What am I going to do?"

Dot suggested in a cheerful demeanor, "What about a little refresher course, you could base on that Read-Me file of yours, 'Games: A Survival's Guide.'"

Bob smiled, "Hey, that's not a bad idea, thanks."

Her expression became more serious. "Now, help me with my little problem?" She motioned toward the distant, empty table where her brother sulked.

"What? Enzo? I didn't even notice him." Bob appeared surprised.

"Exactly. We're both too busy running businesses or saving Mainframe to have time for him."

"And he hasn't gotten any friends because there aren't anymore small Sprites left in Mainframe since the Twin City was destroyed." That made Dot hang her head in a depressive manner. He immediately backspaced, "Oh, I'm sorry, Dot. I-I didn't mean to-"

"No, I'm ok. It's just that the Twin City reminds me of my father."

"It wasn't his fault, Dot. The experiment just got outta control." Bob reassured.

"I know, I just wish he was here now, I miss him."

Changing the subject, he requested, "C'mon, let's see if we could help Enzo." They went over and spotted him, his eyes looking distant and glazed. "Hi, Enzo, what's processing?"

He lifted his head, but he was still glum. "Huh? Oh, nothing. How was the Game?"

"Oh, it was terrible. I could've really used your help back there." Dot tapped him in the chest, knocking a little sense into him on talking about Games. Bob switched gears, "Why don't you go and, uh, play with Frisket. Where is he, anyway?" He noticed his wild mutt wasn't with him.

Enzo just shrugged it off. "I don't know, he's not my dog. He's feral. And you know what that means, he could be anywhere doing anything." He had a brief fantasy of him fighting off the Crimson Binome whom invaded the System not too long ago. He shook off the daydream and returned to his sad reality, more irritable than ever. "Everyone's having a better time than me! I got no one to play with and it's all dad's fault!" he stomped the ground in protest. "He hadn't deleted any of the Sprites, I'd have some friends!" He immediately stormed out toward the curb and sobbed.

"Enzo!" Dot tried to go after him, but Bob held her back.

* * *

Meanwhile the young Pokémon, led by an energetic Squirtle, were sliding down the data slope in Floating Point Park. Their elders were on their way to pick them up. The Tiny Turtle, along with his close friends Staryu named Ruby, Seaking also called Sea King, and one of the Golducks made a humongous splash below, laughing all the while.

The fun was abruptly halted by a familiar sound. There were some ringing in the air, and the sky churned into a dark violet. Then, they heard a mechanical tone:

" _Warning! Incoming Game. Warning! Incoming Game._ "

The Game Cube made of volatile purple energy was descending from the sky. They all looked up in terror, even Squirtle who was very frantic. They weren't sure whether or not they should pursue it, at least not without their Trainer's consent. The elder Pokémon saw it too and they began to wander toward it. One other creature, a massive manta ray that was the Kite Pokémon, Mantine, flew and landed close to the crowd. In their own language, the adult Pokémon communicated that they should head to Baudway, the location of the Game's landing. They went toward Dot's Diner as fast as their feet, wings, and fins could carry them!

While most of the Pokémon were from Mewtwo, as well as the evolved Psyduck and Seadra, Akari managed to catch a few of her own: First was Seaking whom she caught in Cerulean City with a Super Rod, as well as two Staryus in which one of them transformed by exposure to a Water Stone. Next was the new Kingdra, as Mewtwo's Seadra evolved from a rare Dragon Scale somewhere in the oceans of Johto. And Mantine and Lapras were rescued from greedy, lowlife humans; but not before the bullies got a massive beatdown.

Everyone was in a panic, except for the boy who just sat at one of the tables next to the window. While he was evacuating with his patrons, Cecil made some failed attempts to convince him to leave. "What're you waiting for?! C'mon, don't be a ninny, get outta here!"

He simply responded, "No way. And miss all the fun? See ya!" he waved to the cowardly civilians. He continued to stay, disobeying his sister's direct orders on entering Games by himself. Little did he know the Pokémon were approaching it.

Nanoseconds later, he was surrounded by the same erratic field, covering the entire Sector in its wake. It then transformed as the sky turned back to normal. He was then submerged underwater and could barely breath. In fact, there was no surface whatsoever. Quickly, the kid tapped on his icon in his red cap and nearly choked on the surrounding saltwater. "Reboot!" He then dropped onto a seat, and he immersed himself inside his own sub. He donned on an eyepatch and also a cerulean naval outfit with red lining. "Cool!" A seatbelt wrapped around him as he started the engine; his vehicle was shaped like a colorful angle fish as it drove away.

A few Sectors away, Bob and Dot both rebooted, though they transformed into merfolk creatures. The Guardian had some blue and algae-covered scales, while Dot's were amethyst and wielding a black trident.

Without moving his lips and pasting a grin, Bob commented, "Wow, Dot looks amazing. What a babe."

"I heard that." she spoke in a stern matter without moving her lips.

"What? Did I just say that or think it?" he wondered to himself.

Dot responded, "You thought it; we're telepathic, it's part of our Game character."

"Oh, sorry, I should start being more careful on what I say-err, think."

"That'll be a first. So, what have we got to win this one?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this one before. Glitch, Game Info." Thankfully, his Key Tool was still functioning as it chirped when the data transfer was complete. As they were swimming away, Bob explained the details. "Right. The User has to find the lost treasure of Atlantis to win the Game."

"And it's our job to stop him, what have we got to help us?" Dot queried.

"Apparently, I've got electro powers that could work offensively and defensively." They stopped for a short while. Then, Bob had a blaster elongated from his right arm. He aimed toward a boulder and fired out a large bolt, shattering it on contact. He continued to look at his nifty companion. "Whoa! And you have a trident that could generate forcefields and...piranha mines?"

"Nice." She swirled her weapon around a few times, testing it out and causing Bob to spin out of control.

"Yiikes! Hey, what where you point that thing!"

With a shrug, she said, "Sorry. Come on, let's end this Game before Enzo gets into any trouble." They both continued to swim to their destination. Bob gazed at Dot's rear tail fin that was seamlessly moving side to side propelling her forward.

"Mmm, nice tail."

"I heard that too!"

"D'oh..! Heh, sorry." he managed to compose himself.

"Just keep your mind on the User." Dot warned earnestly

* * *

The User looked to be a shark, though it wasn't a live one. It had a mechanical look, almost like a small nuclear sub with its stare that could make onlookers' skin perk up in terror. It floated by amongst the coral reefs and a small female Sprite emerged from hiding when the User swam past her. She had on some light-blue hair that nearly blended into the surrounding ocean, along with some designs of starfish and seashells, wearing a raggedy white shirt and black tights. The kid took out another star and threw it toward the shark, provoking it and slicing its exterior. The boomerang returned, the shark faced her, and it shot out an orb of energy. It hit her, rendering her unconscious, then the User launched a small missile. Fortunately, Enzo saved her bitmap as he opened and closed the mouth of his own sub.

"Pick on somebody your own size, you big bully!" he talked smack to it. The angel fish retreated amongst the distant boulders. He didn't even notice his friends battling it.

"There's the User. You ready?" Bob said.

"Yeah. Let's do it!" Dot replied with enthusiasm. They swam apart from each other and the shark went after Bob first. He attempted, though missed, to shock the User with his electro blasters. Then, Dot intervened using her trident. A ball of energy was formed and it closed in on the shark. She swam toward Bob and wondered, "What is a piranha mine?" He shrugged. Then the sphere solidified into a spiked ball. Next it blown up and the smithereens came to life as teeny, tiny hungry piranhas. They all faced the shark and started to eradicate its entire hull, until it was nothing but bones. It sunk to the ocean floor like a rock.

Dot cheered as she pumped a fist. "Yes!"

"Hang on, Dot. The Game hasn't gone away." Bob was right as the shark blinked, then regenerated itself resuming its voyage. It was as if the mines did nothing to it at all.

"What's going on?"

Bob looked at Glitch again, "The User has multiple lives; 15 to be exact."

"Not good, this is not good!"

He was surprised at the thought. "Hey, that's my line."

Just about a mile away, the elders consisting of Blastoise, the Mantine named Good Devil, Tentacruel, Vaporeon, Gyarados, the Lapras named Dorrie, the Octillery called Octarok, Kingdra, and the Starmie called Misty saw the two merfolk. It was thanks to one of Mewtwo's Starters that noticed Bob's and Dot's altered faces as well as their icons. "Blast..?" He motioned his troops to follow him toward them. They soon teamed up and both groups were on their way toward the menacing shark sub.

* * *

"Be ok. Please be ok." Enzo was inside the hull, hoping the girl would soon wake up. She almost immediately opened her large eyes and hissed viciously; it was like a mix between a cat's and a snake's. The startled Sprite saw her stand with minimal effort, looked like she was ready to pounce on him, and hissed again. "Uh oh..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Gyarados met the User and let out a Hyper Beam while Tentacruel used Poison Sting. It did little to its titanium alloy and it only left the Atrocious Pokémon vulnerable; apparently, he needed to recharge just after using its energy for that move. The shark shot out a few small torpedoes, and Golduck took the front. Unfortunately, he was injured by the small volley, and he had to be carried away by the Jellyfish. Vaporeon swam in and smacked the shark using her Aqua Tail, and the User collided toward the rocky terrain below. Dorrie took her turn with an Ice Beam, freezing the User as it malfunctioned and crashed. And Blastoise made a devastating Rapid Spin after withdrawing into its large tribal-designed shell. Yet it still kept on regenerating itself.

"Yay... How many is that now?" Dot remarked sarcastically.

Bob answered, "Six down, nine to go. Come on." They continued on their journey toward the lost treasure.

* * *

"Wow, you're ok! I thought the User offlined you for sure." Enzo was so enthusiastic despite the danger, typical that he was so resilient and oblivious. Then again, he was glad to find someone that looked like his age. "Hey cool spines! Are they acid or poison?" he commented.

"Um, not poison. They paralyze." she spoke.

"Totally random! I bet they're really useful in this Game. When I rebooted, all I got was this eye patch." he pointed to his left eye.

She looked skeptical, clearly thinking he was indeed an outsider. "Rebooted? Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Enzo. Um, a Guardian. Yeah that's it. I come from the Net, and who are you?"

She then introduced herself, but was cut off. "I am AndrAIa. I'm a-"

"Cool. I haven't seen you around Mainframe. AndrAIa! That's a nice name." He saw her walk toward the porthole. "What's the matter?"

"Quiet!" Apparently, she had exceptional hearing; she was actually able to listen to a howling noise coming from a distant cavern in the indigo ocean.

"What is it?" Enzo was curious as to what she found.

"Wolf eels are ahead of us. Do you not hear them?" Little did he know she was acting like she's an inhabitant of this Game.

"Well...no."

"Quick. Turn here." She ordered the ship to turn a corner and take another passage.

Some Pokémon spotted the cavern covered in pairs of glowing, looming red eyes. They fired at them using their special moves, causing the grey fish with the small fangs to scurry. Little did Enzo and his new friend suspected, they were closely logging behind them. Eventually, Squirtle gave a few taps on the glass window, and they greeted them.

"Alphanumeric! AndrAIa, these are Akari's Water Pokémon, Squirtle, Staryu, Seaking, and Golduck. They're awesome!"

She gave a shy wave, though the pocket monsters were still joyful to see them. They went on their way on accomplishing, or rather, exploring the aquatic caves.

* * *

Meanwhile, the elder Pokémon were having problems of their own, as well as the merfolk. Because of the User's large life count, they became more and more powerless against it. Time was of the essence, as the User persisted toward the treasure of Atlantis.

Bob attempted to slice down a stalactite, hitting and sinking the sub down. Then, when it respawned, Misty intervened with her Water Pulse, which did nothing, and then her Psychic blasts, forcing it to crash. Then, both Bob and Octarok teamed up and combined their electric abilities with his own Zap Cannon; only it gave the allies quite a shock. They were stunned for a few nanoseconds, especially Good Devil, until Golduck's red gem flashed, causing the sub to fall apart with Blastoise's Flash Cannon; it was incredibly powerful and blindingly fast using its two water cannons.

"How're we doing?" Dot questioned.

"Not good." Bob looked at his Key Tool for progress. "The User still has 8 lives to get to the final level. We're not gonna make it, Dot."

"Noo!" As the shark was heading towards her, she swirled her trident in a few circles, causing it to get caught in the current and slam against a nearby boulder.

"Feel better?" Bob asked.

"Yes. But we're out of power. Any ideas?"

"Our only chance is to beat the User to the treasure. Wait here!" The User reformed and swam off. The Guardian went beside it and used his blades to slice the shark's exterior and open the large tailpipe. Kingdra and Octarok got the same idea, spitting ink into the shark's portholes disabling its vision. They then swam back to his partner. "That'll slow it down."

"Ok, but which way?"

He motioned to the right, "This way. But be careful, now that the Game Sprites will be after us as well."They all resumed their race against the User with the aquatic Pokémon tagging along.

* * *

While the junior Pokémon and Sea King were escorting the young'uns, Enzo and AndrAIa were in bursts of laughter. The boy led the hilarious, though lying, conversation, "And then my friend, Bob, booted as a damsel; his legs didn't even reach the ground!" The girl was really interested in him, and his misadventures. It was just a way to impress her, the guys knew. "Um, AndrAIa? This is the best time I ever had."

"I like you, Enzo."

He was taken aback a little by her interests and admiration in him. He immediately recovered, "Um, I like you too, AndrAIa. When we'll win this Game, you can go to the diner, and meet Bob and Dot. And you'll love Frisket, he's my dog."

"Enzo, the User! Just ahead of us!"

"Uh oh."

Sure enough, the shark was right at them. The Pokémon grew anxious and prepared for battle. It then shot out three volleys that looked like guppies. Squirtle took a deep inhale and unleashed its Bubblebeam, while Ruby used Swift, and Sea King avoided gracefully with Golduck.

"Shoot torpedoes, I got control. They run by a basic flux optimism. Hang on!" AndrAIa took the helm and turned the fish sharply, evading all the volleys. They also managed to go through one as the guppies just surrounded them.

Enzo was quite impressed with her great navigation skills. "Alphanumeric." They made a high-five, but the shark wasn't done yet. "Come on, I got the manta rays, you take the stingrays." Two blue electrical stingrays and three green manta rays shot out of the angel fish's hull straight toward the User. Upon contact the shark exploded. Enzo cheered victoriously, "Yahoo! We did it! Huh?" He was immediately caught off guard as the Game wasn't over and saw the shark reform. It then shot an enormous pink orb of energy to them. Fortunately, the sub escaped as it made a bare right turn through another cavern.

Through the detour, it was a tricky maze of sharp, rocky cliffs and narrow passageways. Some were at the point of nearly crushing them. It was thanks to the assistance of Squirtle's Water Gun, and Sea King's Horn Drill that expanded those tedious routes. Though Ruby lost a limb or two; fortunately, they were able to grow back.

AndrAIa opened her mouth, though nothing escaped. It was as if she was trying to hold back something, probably a secret that her new friend didn't want to know.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bob, Dot, and the elder Pokémon emerged into an ocean that was filled with red water. It looked as though it was covered in blood, or was simply called the Red Sea. Either way, it undoubtedly was very creepy and a perfect place for an ambush amongst the thick, dense liquid.

"Bob? Why is the water this color?" Dot asked nervously.

"I don't think we wanna know." He responded. Just then, his Key Tool was acting up as it let out a signal for the incoming sharks. "Here they come."

They were surrounded by a pod of great whites heading toward their newfound prey. The Pokémon unleashed the remainders of their special moves, Dot was being hunted and nearly munched from behind, and Bob managed to use his arm blades when a shark opened its massive jaws. This resulted it being torn in half like thin paper.

Its friends saw the disturbing demise. With their mouths gaped and eyes as large as saucers, they swam away. The Water Pokémon stuttered and huddled each other, wishing they wouldn't meet the same fate.

"You ok, Dot?" Bob said as he swam to her.

"Yeah, but don't worry about me. I can handle myself." All of a sudden, the mechanical shark just swam on by. "Bob, it's the User!"

Everyone eagerly chased after it. "Oh no, we cleared the way for it! There's nothing stopping him getting to the treasure!"

"We've gotta try!" As quickly as they swam, they couldn't reach the User. It was nearly hopeless, and exhausting, as they saw Atlantis gleam ahead of them.

Suddenly, the shark extended two side rotors, making its voyage seemingly faster. Fortunately, it was hit directly by a side attack, and as it sunk, the angel fish sub landed on top of it.

Dot observed, "It's Enzo and more Water Pokémon, and they're with somebody."

"It's a Game Sprite!" Bob noticed the stranger inside the cockpit.

"We gotta get him outta there.!

"There's no time. We got to win the Game. Quick, come on!"

They proceeded forward, and the User regenerated itself once more. Suddenly, Bob and Dot were entangled by two thick tentacles that came out of an opaque abyss, constricting them from moving. Gyarados immediately came to their aid, giving one a huge chomp with its razor-sharp fangs, while Sea King joined in with its Horn Drill, penetrating its skin. The User was almost toward the treasure and the strong Pokémon used all their brute strength to hold it back; they couldn't take the risk on deleting it again since they had a hunch it had more than enough lives to get there!

In the cockpit, Enzo screamed, "Oh no, there's Bob and Dot, they're trapped! The User's gonna win, and we'll all going to be nullified!"

AndrAIa looked at him perplexedly. "Nullify? What is nullify?"

"Y'know, offlined! Deleted! Quit without saving!" He suddenly came to the realization as he put two and two together. "You're a Game Sprite, aren't you?"

She hesitated and dropped her head. "Yes. I tried to tell you."

"I know, but I didn't want to listen. I thought you could be my friend!" he countered.

"I am, Enzo." She was clearly ashamed of the fact, and that she would lose him.

"How!? You're a Game Sprite. You leave with the Game, win or lose!" he ranted. "We can never stay together no matter what happens." He turned away from him, with the revelation breaking his heart.

Her face then lit up, "We can be together, Enzo!" She pinched the back of Enzo's neck, and he almost instantly turned.

He held his neck at the incision spot before he felt funny. "No. What're you doing? Unh..!" He then collapsed into the small pool of saltwater. AndrAIa simply took off her distinctive icon from her waist and held it up.

"The User's nearly there. We're never gonna make it!" Bob said in alarm.

"Bob!" Dot showed her dismay as well.

The elderly Pokémon continued to hold the User back with as much muscle as they could muster, since their powers were used up. During the conflict, Squirtle volunteered and ordered Ruby, Good Devil, and the well Golduck race toward the ruins.

AndrAIa sadly looked out the cockpit, laying her hands on the glass and witnessing what the Pokémon were doing. She knew the Game was going to end shortly, never seeing Enzo ever again. She simply spoke, "Goodbye. My friend..."

Each one grabbed and held onto the treasure, almost colliding into the golden rubble. Good Devil soared and covered the little gang as it made a Body Slam. The Pokémon braced for the worst as they shut their eyes tightly.

"Game Over." the System voice declared.

By the time they recovered, Bob and Dot dropped to the ground, and Squirtle ran toward the unconscious Sprite. He let out a sprinkle with his Water Gun onto Enzo's face, waking him up. He let out a groan, then a few coughs, clearing his airwaves. He barely saw the Water Starter, Bob and Dot look over him.

"Enzo, we did it. We're saved. Are you ok?" Bob said with concern.

"Did the Game Sprite hurt you?" Dot added as she caressed his cheek.

He answered glumly, "I'm ok. And that Game Sprite was my friend. She helped save us all."

"Wait. What's that on your icon?" Bob reached for it which was emitting a strange light. As soon as he touched it, both the Guardian and Dot were knocked off their feet. The triangular icon enlarged itself as it brightened more, to the point when Enzo had to squint his eyes. Through the shining aura, he then saw his new best friend, smiling at him while it dissipated.

"AndrAIa, you're here!" They both hugged each other tightly.

As they parted, she said it all. "I told you we'd be together, Enzo! I downloaded a backup of me onto your icon. The Game let me out thinking I was you."

"You can do that?"

"Apparently."

"Cool."

After a brief pause she gladly queried, "Now, Guardian, who are your friends?"

Bob couldn't possibly process what he just saw nor heard, and neither could Dot. This was unlike anything he had experienced, especially after giving out that lecture in the Principal Office earlier. "It's a Game Sprite, outside of a Game? I don't believe it!"

"Or more like a fish out of water." Akari approached the site, and she congratulated her team on winning the Game entirely by themselves. Then, her expression changed from pride to regret as she gazed upon the poor goldfish, Sea King, and the sea horse, Kingdra, standing there without water. "Sorry guys." She returned them both inside their Poké Balls before they'd have the chance to suffocate.

Next to them, she and her team barely heard Bob mutter, "Hey, what does she mean, Guardian?" Even Akari was just as confused, though Enzo was too embarrassed to say anything.

Nanos later, she and the duo were introduced to the heroic Game Sprite, and she couldn't wait to show her around the city, especially to the rest of her fellow teammates.

 **A/N: One thing that didn't get to me, and which fans failed to notice, was this: In the end of the previous episode, Painted Windows, we saw Mike being held against his will in Hex's lair, yet we saw him in the beginning of this episode entertaining Enzo? I don't understand how this works. Plus the next episode cuts back to Mike IN Hex's lair, as if nothing happened, and yet we got AndrAIa as a new recruit..? This doesn't make much sense; hadn't the creators thought this through, at all?! It just really bugs me so much.**

 **I'd like to describe this fic as simple, but difficult. Meaning that I knew some of the details very well from the episode, but due to Akari's massive roster of Water-Types, it was very tumultuous to develop. And so she has Mewtwo's Gyarados, Blastoise, Golducks, Squirtle, Tentacruel, Vaporeon and Kingdra. The rest were hers, but we won't see Marill, Totodile, Kabuto, Omanyte, Kingler, Politoed, nor Cloyster until much later; I guess I didn't add them, or my Trainer very much due to overwork.**

 **I know that Aqua Tail was introduced in Gen 4, but I thought I might change things up a little.**

 **So, based on the old DOS game, Undersea Adventure, I wanted to name Mantine Good Devil since it gave the cutscene of a manta ray that same nickname; Lapras was nicknamed Dorrie since she looks almost exactly like that gentle creature from the Super Mario series; Octillery was called Octarok based on the Zelda creature spitting out rocks and dwelling in water; and Ruby was based on the center of Staryu while Starmie was named after the Cerulean City Gym Leader, Misty. Plus Seaking's name was divided in two, and I personally think that it should be male only while Goldeen should be female only.**

 **So, another episode down. Stay tuned for the next one.**


End file.
